Siege And Seduction

27

He paused, eyes narrowing as he assessed every aspect of my being for deception. Eventually, his lips thinned, and he cast his gaze sideways toward the garden. “I was afraid of that,” he mumbled under his breath. “Afraid of what? What’s going on here? You’re frightening me,” I called out anxiously as my hands waved about. Lancelot’s eyes slid back to mine. He prowled closer until he was standing directly before me. “The claims have come from the queen. Have you given her reason to harm you?” My jaw dropped in disbelief, and my eyes flitted about, trying to discern a reasonable explanation for his words. “I don’t … why would she … I don’t even know…” I rambled incoherently, unable to finish a single thought. Claiming my attention, Lancelot placed his warm hands against my dirty cheeks and lifted my gaze to his. “I believe you. It’s why I severed ties with Guin. This is not the first deception she has committed, but I had to speak with you to determine for myself whether the words bore any truth.” “I swear to you, I had nothing to do with Arthur’s attack. He’s my brother. He’s all the family I have left in the world. I’ve been terrified I might lose him.” A tear slid down my cheek, and he gently swiped the moisture away with his thumb, then lowered his hands, filling me with an unsettling sense of loss. “He is the best of men. Seeing him so ravaged has pained me as well.” His eyes then roved over my face and wandered lower, down the length of my body. “He spoke of you often—his baby sister. But you are not a child anymore, are you?” I shook my head, unable to form a single word. I had no idea what was happening between us, but it felt like my world was shifting on its axis. Like that moment was in some way pivotal, but I didn’t have the proper perspective to understand its importance. When I thought I couldn’t stand the heated tension another moment, Lancelot spoke. “Come then, I’ll walk you back to the gates. It grows dark, and a young woman should not be alone outside the city wall.” Thankful for the escort and the escape from his bewitching t****l, I obediently grabbed my basket and scurried after the man who had captivated me for so long. Unbeknown to me, that day had been the first day of our love affair—one that was short-lived but burned brighter than any sun. Losing him had only added to the mountain of grief I had endured during my childhood. Arthur survived his attack, only to be killed months later, leaving me utterly alone. My waking mind and active subconscious blurred as I roused from the dream. The comforting weight of a heavy arm draped over me, and I snuggled into the warmth at my back. A part of me desperately wanted to return to the dream and the happy months I spent with Lancelot. Another vocal part of me blared annoyingly that the man behind me was not Lancelot. I was going to have to work on silencing my inner voices—some of them were salty bitches. I blinked my eyes open to the dense blackness of night. The prior twenty-four hours came rushing back to me in a flood of memories. Not only was the man behind me not my Lancelot but he was also my jailor. He reported to a man who would see me fail if he knew my task. Knight was a decent man. I had no qualms with him, but I couldn’t allow our association to continue if there was a chance of escape. It was too risky. I squeezed myself out from beneath his arm, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn’t stir. Not wanting to make any noise, I picked up my pack and crept from our makeshift campsite. I knew the stars well and was able to direct myself eastward. Once I was a sufficient distance from the cave not to be heard, I dug a jacket out of my backpack and took a swig of water from my canteen. Just before I moved to return to the canteen, I heard a rustle of leaves not far from me. Every muscle in my body was locked in anticipation. My ears scanned for any indication of what might be out there, and my eyes strained to see beyond the closest trees. For long minutes, I stood motionless, unsure if I was in danger or merely overreacting. I had never in my life been afraid of the dark. My powers always provided ample protection. Now, I started to wonder what I’d been thinking, running headlong into the forest in the middle of the night without so much as a knife to protect me. The one I had brought with us was somewhere in the cave with Knight, discarded after he had disemboweled the Kaché. In my hurry to escape, I hadn’t remembered to look for it. There was no time to go back. I had to put as much distance between us as possible. One stealthy step at a time, I resumed walking. My imagination began to run wild, and even the slightest noise sounded like the most heinous creature. Soon, I picked up my pace to a steady jog, hoping to exhaust the fear from my system. I went for miles in the seemingly endless forest. The Faery suns crested over the horizon and gradually ascended into the sky. I took minimal breaks, hoping I could get far enough ahead of Knight to lose him. I had no doubt he would come after me. The question was whether I was skilled enough to evade him. By afternoon, my energy levels had depleted dramatically. I had finished off the last of my water and hadn’t located a single stream from which I could refill my canteen. Knowing I needed to take a break, I found a fallen tree to sit against and rested my head on the moist wood. How did humans survive as a species? Life was infinitely more difficult without the use of magic. In theory, I had known magic vastly affected daily life, but it hadn’t been until my escape from Merlin’s house that I had truly begun to understand the effects. Not even the month I had spent at the house before Knight arrived had been enough to demonstrate how substantially I relied on magic as a Fae. Now that I was alone in a forest, without water and disturbingly low on energy, I finally grasped how advantageous magic was. Aside from Merlin’s enchantment, Knight had been without magic his entire time as a wolf. I was amazed he was sane after his ordeal, but it was equally stunning that he had survived. As capable as I thought of myself, I was coming to realize my basic survival skills were abysmal. How did one find water without magic? How was I supposed to sleep without a protection spell around me? If the clouds obscured the stars, how would I know which direction to go at night? I glared down at the garish iron cuffs around both my wrists. Who would have thought the mighty Morgan Le Fay could be rendered helpless as a child so easily? I began to cackle a humorless laugh. The sound resonated in the stillness of the woods, making me laugh even harder. Before long, the sound died in my throat as my eyes fell upon three tiny creatures watching me where I sat. Spriggans. Of all the bloody luck.